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This week on Gas2, the most popular stories revolved around the promise of electric power in alternative transportation. From Tesla’s reveal of the Model 3, to Toyota’s vision for its 2022 quick charging EV, and even to the Koch brothers’ message machine about the perils of EVs, the key connecting element among the top Gas2 stories was about the promise of electric power…. who has it, who proclaims to be on the verge of having it, and who’s so afraid of the promise of electric power that they’re spreading EV stories about fearful safety concerns and children’s welfare.

Here are those stories and more in this edition of the “Gas2 Week in Review.”

Titled “The Dirty Secrets of Electric Cars,” the new Koch brothers’ video is a linguist’s dream! Did you know that “electric cars are more toxic to humans than average cars?” Or that “pollution is rampant” in countries where batteries are produced? When “rare earth metals” are mined for EV batteries, the video says, “children are forced into oppressive labor” and “are ripe for exploitation.” These children “earn as little as two dollars a day.” It is “dangerous” to extract these metals, many of which “end up in landfills.” Ah, the simple video is rife with the most basic of propaganda techniques to refute the promise of electric power:

name calling (“dirty secrets”),

glittering generalities (because batteries — among other products — are produced in countries that are polluted, it is implied that batteries are to blame),

plain folks (“children” are “forced into oppressive labor,” but the video implies the fault lies with battery production rather than horrific social conditions),

appeal to fear (batteries “end up in landfills” which, by extension, will contaminate infrastructure like water supplies), and,

black and white fallacy (only two alternatives are presented— a world with and without batteries.)

Electric car production reports took the headlines this week on Gas2, with updates from Tesla and its wanna-be rivals capturing our readers’ interest. With the Tesla Model 3 production under way and completion numbers exceeding original quotas, other U.S. automakers seem to be scrambling to understand the EV industry.

As example, the Chevy Bolt production line summer shutdown was extended to absorb excess inventory. In a companion story, one of our Gas2 readers who has driven the Bolt wrote a rather scathing guest editorial, to the consternation of some of our other regulars. We also heard from readers who weren’t that surprised that Lucid is having electric vehicle production problems due to financial deficits. But the story about Nissan LEAF’s innovative e-pedal seemed to be quite promising, unlike many higher priced vehicles, which a new report has indicated are simply out of reach right now for many U.S. consumers.

Here are those stories and more on this week’s edition of the “Gas2 Week in Review.”

With a new VIN number ending in 336 off the line, Tesla’s anticipated Model 3 electric car production may be ahead of schedule. That bodes poorly for the big U.S. automakers like Chevrolet, which has extended the summer shutdown of its Michigan factory where the Chevy Bolt is manufactured. Why? The company needs to get control of bulging inventories of unsold vehicles, according to a company spokesperson. Meanwhile, Tesla says it will be selling 500,000 cars a year by the end of 2018, five times what it sells now. Consumers are crying out for Teslas, but Chevy can’t sell them? Can you say “cognitive dissonance?”

The move toward alternative transportation options requires significant new thinking and lots of failed experimentation. But all that experimentation doessometimes lead to monumental discoveries. This week on Gas2, our top stories focused on innovators who were trying out different routes to make green transportation more efficient.

First, there are the researchers at Drexel University who say they’ve come up with an experimentation method of achieving very high electronic conductivity with a two-dimensional material; if all goes as planned, it will produce much faster battery charging. Then there are the folks over at Sono Motors, whose experimentation has resulted in a car that adds 18 miles of range due to roof, hood, and rear hatch covered in in monocrystalline silicon solar cells.

A company called Continental is delving into experimentation that has the potential to reduce NOx emissions by 60% through a 48 volt electrical volt system. And, speaking of diesel, VW’s epiphanies about fossil fuels have led it to announce that, by 2025, at least one-quarter of the cars it sells will be electric, which will require a significant expansion of lithium-ion battery cell production.

The Hyperloop — that futuristic pod that travels through a tube in partial vacuum — was back in the news, after a successful test run at relatively low speeds. Here are those stories and more on this week’s edition of the “Gas2 Week in Review.”

A new highly conductive two-dimensional material may allow ordinary batteries to charge as fast as supercapacitors and, yet, have the energy storage potential of a conventional battery. The key is having more places to store electrons than today’s generation of electrodes, so that more electron storage would equal more electrical energy stored and transmitted. The researchers at Drexel say that, when ions actually reach their destination at fast charging rates, rapid charging “on the order of a few seconds or less” can result.

The Tesla Model 3 again out-topped any other green transportation news story this week. The Model 3 is here! The Model 3 is here! Well, actually, the Tesla Model 3 production lines have just been fired up this week, which caused stock analysts to get their knickers in a knot. Some said the Tesla sky will fall, while others proclaimed that we can’t begin to envision how the strong Tesla Model 3 will boost the company’s valuation in years to come.

All this Tesla Model 3 news came during a week in which a Bloomberg company estimated that electric cars will comprise half of all new car sales by 2040, and France announced that it will prohibit sales of internal combustion engines by 2040. Meanwhile, behind all the bravado in the news, one company is quietly developing solar powered cars, which, if tenable, could cut out the middle step of ancillary electricity production to power electric cars.

Here are those stories and more on this week’s edition of “Gas2 Week in Review.”

Musk will be the recipient of this first Model 3, as a Tesla board member has reportedly deferred its ownership to Musk in what has been called “a birthday gift.” The Tesla Model 3 is the third model in the all-electric Tesla line. Musk explained that a celebration to deliver the first cars will take place in which 30 cars will be handed over to owners on July 28. After that, he expects the factory to build 100 cars in August and 1,500 in September. The ultimate goal is to ramp up production to about 20,000 units in the month of December.

One of our readers noted that, unlike so many concept vehicles on the horizon, Musk is good for his word. “The Man delivers! No pie in the sky here.”

Transportation power sources that would rival combustion engines in reliability, consumer acceptance, and range made Gas2 readers take notice this week— and the manufacturers who continue to keep a foot firmly placed in 20th century combustion engines caught a laugh or two from our audience, too. Volvo’s attempt to put lipstick on its diesel truck pig didn’t do much for our readers, but the soon-to-be revealed specs of the BMW electric 3 series did capture their imaginations. Formula E, that all-electric motorsports series, was chronicled for those who want to know just a little more about what this type of car racing is all about.

On the other hand, Formula 1’s intransigence about putting tracks on the schedule that are sub-par became evident when we watched the Baku debacle, and who better than our Ga2 readers could identify what a quality F1 track should be like? (Hint: Less padding of the F1 pockets.) Elios Motors’ claims to be on the forefront of vehicle innovation caused a lot of our tech-savvy readers to fall off their comfy chairs and roll on the ground, hysterically laughing….

The automotive news this week had highs of the JD Power & Associates awards and newly-announced innovations like in-wheel power motors and a water-cooled exhaust manifold. There were also downsides that caught our readers’ interest, like the Ford Focus upcoming production move to China and Porsche’s need to reinvigorate its brand image after the Volkswagen Dieselgate debacle.

Here are those stories and more on this week’s edition of the “Gas2: Week in Review.”

With an increasing number of consumer-reported problems for automakers and suppliers, JD Power & Associates acknowledged that problematic voice recognition systems, Bluetooth connectivity issues, inconsistent collision avoidance and lane departure systems, and other consumer dissatisfaction with digital world applications demonstrated the critical importance of automakers responding to feedback regarding vehicle quality. And the automaker that seems to have been most proactive is Kia, which won the 2017 Initial Quality award for the second year in a row. Its parent company, Hyundai finished down in 8th place. Tesla declines to share data with JD Power.

Elaphe Motors, a Slovenian company that is pioneering work with in-wheel motors, has released information about its new distributed propulsion system. Through sophisticated electronics, each wheel can get precisely the amount of power and torque it needs and no more. Four separate electric motors allow for torque vectoring, which means that each wheel can operate independently from the other three. The system is mounted completely inside the rims and is built around a standard disc brake and bearing. The European Union has given Elaphe Motors a €1 million grant to develop the technology and find industrial partners.

This potentially exciting innovation also had one of our astute readers wondering about “the vehicle handling and performance (as) wheel motors increase unsprung mass and rotational inertia in the wheels.”

A new exhaust manifold technology that casts the tubular exhaust manifold and head out of a single piece, along with water channels that keep coolant flowing around the integrated exhaust manifold, really caught our readers’ interest. They primarily wondered aloud…

In response to President Donald Trump’s condemnation of Ford’s plan to build the Focus in Mexico, CEO Jim Hackett has announced that Ford will move production to Chongqing, China and import the cars from there. Trump has not issued one of his expected Tweets in response. But our readers did have plenty of reaction, including:

The diesel debacle just won’t go away for Volkswagen. Even its subsidiaries of Audi and Porsche are feeling the negative vibes. So, wouldn’t it make sense for Porsche to grab the glamour and glory of Formula 1 to help that oh-so-unhappy scandal to subside? Porsche execs will be sitting in at the next F1 engine manufacturers’ meeting in Baku, where they’ll discuss future options with Renault, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Honda. Of course, this is all speculation, with Formula E also a real possibility for Porsche to make a statement about how forward thinking it is. Other rumors also have Porsche heading for Formula E and/ or Le Mans.

“Porsche’s real battle is to find customers for performance cars among the world’s younger buyers… But, with reduced disposable income and a higher percentage of younger people living in our cities, these “Device Culture” buyers don’t need a vehicle as much as in years past;”

“To put it in perspective, Porsche has proven to be a more than competent wielder of hybrid tech in racing and with the 918… if there is any company that could make it work, it’s Porsche.”

Foreign automakers have a problem. The brain-addled Donald Trump is running around the world shooting off his mouth about how he is going to impose stiff new tariffs on cars imported into the US. Sadly, America’s chief executive is too stupid to realize that most of those foreign car companies also build cars in the US and employ lots of good, old-fashioned, red-blooded American workers to make them. What to do?

It used to be, if you were a company that wanted to get your message heard in Washington, you hired a lobbyist. But with The Trumpenator in charge of the Offal Office, you need to do things differently. The Association of Global Automakers, which includes such companies as Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, ​ and Nissan, has produced a new made-for-television ad campaign.

Technological processes that will move us closer to emission reductions sparked our readers’ interests this week on Gas2. One of the most compelling stories discussed Havelaar Canada’s reveal of its Bison electric pickup truck with #nextgen connectivity. Then, too, climate change activists and deniers alike spoke with passion regarding Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris agreement.

The Texas state legislature has again denied the most prominent electric car innovator of our times permission to sell its cars directly to customers. Yes, in case you missed it, Texas shot down Tesla’s legal petition to circumvent traditional car selling in the Lone Star State. So our readers turned to a story about the other economic end of the EV spectrum: the cheapest electric cars available today and the various technological processes that promote lightweighting. That story allowed our readers to build in some additional prior knowledge as they commented, especially when the topic of extensive computational analysis arose. Many promising results are being revealed in the lightweighting laboratory and implemented on the assembly line, especially with batteries.

Here are those stories and more on this week’s edition of the “Gas2 Week in Review.”

What Canadian citizen wouldn’t like a sophisticated #nextgen pickup truck with instant connectivity, touch screen display, and driver assistive technology calibrated to meet both the day-to-day work demands and active lifestyle needs of adventurers? That’s the description provided by Havelaar Canada at the EV/VE Conference and Trade Show in Ontario as it revealed its new Bison electric pickup truck. Inspired by nature, designed in cooperation with the University of Toronto, the Bison will join the upcoming competition with Tesla and other EV makers as they attempt to corner the popular pickup truck market.

German carmakers made the top news this week on Gas2, with two separate issues catching the interest of our readers. Many were amazed to hear that the U.S. President threatened to halt German carmakers’ products in the U.S., and Trump’s understanding of basic international trade principles came under fire.An investigation into Daimler’s possible corruption of vehicle emission standards caused our readers to voice concerns. In another carmaker story that spurred our readers to comment, Subaru announced it would finally enter the EV market, acknowledging that international demand may have exceeded the company’s initial forecasts.

Closer to home, with the reality of climate change hitting most people in the U.S., controversies about U.S. carmakers continued. Ford’s Mark Fields’ reluctance to expand beyond combustion engines caused his ouster as CEO this week, albeit with a hefty separation package. Hydrogen alternatives generated tremendous debate, too, among our readers.

Here are those stories and more on this edition of “Gas2 Week in Review.”

Electric motorcycle stories made the top reader hit list this week on Gas2, followed quickly by articles that focused on a claim of a revolutionary new electric car battery and oil company disruptions. Harley Davidson is always a popular topic with Gas2 fans, especially with 100 new models as planned additions to their catalog, including an electric motorcycle– Harley says that the e-bike will have a distinctive Harley sound, performance, and feel. Also, the stunning backdrop of the Isle of Man caught many readers’ attention, as Sarolea has released a new electric motorcycle for this year’s race. An Israeli company that claims it can produce an electric car battery with a 300 mile range and quick recharge was quite an eye-catching story. So, too, was the vision of a prominent futurist, in which he described how autonomous electric transit will replace the current auto industry and lead to the demise of reliance on fossil fuels.

Acknowledging that it has a shrinking customer base, Harley Davidson will introduce 100 new models in ten years, with at least one electric model in their line. The electric Livewire prototype, which doesn’t have a 45-degree, push rod twin cylinder engine, should have the performance expected from a Harley Davidson, according to the vice president of the Harley-Davidson Museum, Bill Davidson. They’ll be conscious that the sound, performance, and feel of the electric bike will be as important as with their more traditional bikes. To accomplish the sound equivalent, for example, Harley is researching various technologies that play into that their quintessential look and sound formulas.

The Game of Thrones characters have it tough. Someone is always trying to usurp their power and prestige. They truly live in an alternative world in which conflict and strife are a daily occurrence and the rewards for selflessness and egalitarianism are quite fleeting.

And, to top it off, their transportation modes are really quite arduous. Have you ever tried sitting on a scaly dragon? How about those bumps on the carriage road from King’s Landing to Winterfell? What about the long and tedious walking in the lands beyond the Wall?

Well, the online used car dealership Carspring inspired us here at Gas2. They matched the great houses in Game of Thrones with modified cars. We took the idea in a different direction. Wouldn’t the Game of Thrones characters give anything to have the luxury of electric vehicle (EV) transportation at their leather-gloved fingertips? Here is our Gas2 vision of matching the Game of Thrones characters and their EV chariots.

An honorable patriarch, Ned Stark is loyal to Robert Baratheon when most others would tell him to come down off his throne of swords and get sober. Ned’s EV would be the Chevy FNR-X, with its bold and brawny styling that is oh-so-trendy right now. The GM press release said of the FNR-X, “The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle can switch between its engine and electric motor, while offering two driving modes: V (Versatility) and S (Sport).” Yup, that’s Ned Stark all right. Loyal to Catelyn but torn by affection to his son, Jon, by another mom. Wanting to believe that young sadomasochist Joffrey Baratheon would rise to the occasion of his kingship. Oh, Ned. You would drive a concept vehicle that has “a high-tech, artistic feeling underpinned by the spirit of craftsmanship.”

Electric pickups that have a rugged appeal and carbon fiber body panels? Turbochargers that use electric boosters to make internal combustion engines more efficient?

Yes, ways to harness electric power were definitely the most popular stories this week on Gas2. But how could flying pigs connect with electric-powered transportation? Well, the Chrysler Pacifica has gotten some significant media marketing time of late, with a clever commercial designed to appeal to families yet without explicitly saying that the vehicle needs to be plugged in periodically.

Red light traffic tickets also charged up our readers this week upon learning that a decades-old formula for timing at intersections may be contributing to rather than reducing hazards and causing some drivers to be caught moving during a red light. And the electrifying Formula 1 race from Russia was a race to the Finnish (pun intended), with Valtteri Bottas able to hold off the challenge of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in the final laps. Here are those stories and more on our “Gas2 Week in Review.”

Ohio’s Workhorse has revealed its W-15 electric pickup truck. With rugged good looks and composite and carbon fiber body panels that are designed to resist dents, dings, and corrosion, the W-15 has a stainless steel ladder type chassis for strength and durability, 30″ of impact absorbing front crush space, automatic braking, and a lane departure warning system. As if those features aren’t convincing enough, the W-15 has a range extender gasoline engine that can achieve 80 miles on battery power alone and the range extender can provide another 300 miles after it kicks in. And it has two electric motors — on in front and one in back — for true all wheel drive capability. The W-15 is rated 75 MPGe by the EPA and gets 32 mpg city/28 highway when the range extender engine is operating. Can any other full size all wheel drive pickups even begin to compete with those numbers?

Electric cars were the focus of many reader comments this week on Gas2. With a major oil producer predicting that electric cars will assume one-third of car sales by 2010 and AAA survey results pointing to 15% of the public ready to consider electric cars for their next vehicles, the momentum seems to be swinging to a future where electric cars are normal. Other stories supporting this issue that grabbed our readers’ attention were Hyundai’s humorous marketing message about consumers’ fears of hybrids, the Fisker EMotion electric car pre-reveal, and automakers coming to slow acceptance that higher octane gas will just be the starting point of reducing environmental impact. Here are those stories and more on our “Gas2 Week in Review.”

One of the world’s largest oil producers has forecast that sales of electric cars will surge from about 1% globally in today’s new car market up to 30% of market share by 2030. Joel Couse, chief economist for Total, says demand for petroleum based fuels “will flatten out, maybe even decline.” To support Couse’ prediction, one need look no farther than battery prices, which are falling by as much as 20% a year. Recharging infrastructures, too, are seeing progress. For example, Tesla announced this week that it will double the extent of its Supercharger network by the end of 2017. Chargers from Tesla and others that can provide up to 350 kW of power are in the planning stages and are expected to become available in the next few years, reducing charging times dramatically and increasing consumer confidence.

If 15% of possible U.S. car buyers are considering electric cars for their next purchase, that could translate into 30 million people, or 1/7 of the U.S. car buying population. Those numbers come from the American Automobile Association, which conducted a survey of 1,004 Americans to determine how they feel about electric cars. The results? Electric cars have real appeal due to lower ownership costs and compatibility with emerging autonomous technologies. The results were interesting because respondents continued to lean toward electric cars even as gas prices remain relatively low. This longitudinal study indicates interest among millennials was somewhat higher than the average, with millennials showing concern for the environment, lower long term costs, desire for the latest technology, and access to car pool lanes. The fear of running out of battery power while away from home continues to plague the electric car industry, according to the AAA study. Other factors that are high on their priority list are safety technology, brand recognition, styling, and smartphone connectivity.

Hyundai’s new commercial pitches the 2017 Ioniq in an attempt to debunk stereotypes of a hybrid driver. It addresses the average U.S. person’s concerns in a funny, self-deprecating, and very effective way. The individuals depicted in this commercial are average people in the midst of their daily work routines, and they sing about their reluctance to buy a hybrid car. Their collective hesitation speaks to the next generation of car buyers in the U.S. who are considering electric cars in a variety of available forms. Hyundai is using the hybrid Ioniq as symbol that it is ready to enact a long game that speaks to regulatory landscapes and fuel prices.

Fisker EMotion electric cars had a “pre-reveal” this week, with just enough information released to whet people’s appetites. Henrik Fisker’s new company is trying to build fast-charging, long-range electric cars that have no battery. Instead, they use graphene-based ultracapacitors, which show a higher electron mobility. When electrons can move fast, a battery will charge more quickly. Challenges using graphene in a supercapacitor in the past have include density and energy storage. Fisker is trying to solve those issues with technology that will alter the structure of the graphene, which should improve the supercapacitor’s energy density. Moreover, Fisker says the EMotion will be lighter than a comparable car because it will feature a combination of aluminum and carbon fiber in its construction.

EV technology in a variety of forms inspired many Gas2 readers this week to share their comments, compliments, and concerns. A new J.D. power study indicates that Baby Boomers are more doubtful of self-driving vehicle technology than ever, and, in a similar way, EV sales in China are slumping, as consumers there don’t seem to trust the new technology’s reliability and cost. In other news, Kelley Blue Book has revealed its top five electric vehicles under $40,000, Tesla is narrowing its Model S selection to make way for the upcoming Model 3, and Protean is researching a wheel motor that will create more interior space but add unsprung weight to the corner of a car. Here are those stories and more on our Gas2 Week in Review.

In the third year of a study by J.D. Power, self driving technology skepticism is on the rise among Baby Boomers. 81 percent of Baby Boomers surveyed said they “definitely” or “probably” would not trust self-driving technology, up from 77 percent in 2016. Another 23 percent in that age group said they “probably would not” trust the technology. As technology begins to intersect with reality, consumer curiosity and acceptance usually increase. Yet, with autonomous vehicles, a pattern is emerging in which the level of trust is declining. J.D. Power said 40 percent of Baby Boomers see no benefit from self driving vehicles, while nearly half listed their largest concern as “possible technology failures/errors.”

Despite generous cash subsidies to encourage people to buy so called “new energy” vehicles, SUV sales in China have surged 21% to 2.4 million units in the first quarter of 2017. In the same period, EV sales have increased just 4% to 55,929. EV sales in China are dismal because Chinese customers don’t care for the prevalent sedans available. However, China’s crowded cities pose a problem for the potential car buyer, as it is impossible to register a car without first proving there is a space available to park it. A subsequent registration lottery process, which can take up to five years, takes place, with car, tax, and insurance payments accruing before the new car can even be driven. Chinese drivers also state they are wary of EVs’ unfamiliar technology’s reliability and cost, which the Sierra Club blames on manufacturers and dealers who poorly explain EV technology to potential customers.

The Nissan LEAF, the Kia Soul, the Volkswagen Gold, the Hyundai Ioniq, and the Chevy Bolt has been rated by the editors of Kelley Blue Book as the five best electric cars under $40,000. The criteria for ranking included range, comfort, and performance.

#5: The Nissan LEAF, which maintains its original styling from 2011, offers roominess and plenty of cargo space. The LEAF is the best selling electric car of all time with over 250,000 now on the road worldwide;

#4: The Kia Soul is a fun and fresh alternative for all ages. The innovative happy hamster ad campaign that introduced the Kia Soul to America helped establish it as a favorite. Among electric cars, which tend to be mostly boring sedans, the Kia Soul EV is definitely the Plan B alternative.

#3: The Volkswagen e-Golf gets the advantage of attention to detail with smart styling and a larger battery for 2017 that gives it significantly more range. The e-Golf is sold only in California and the other U.S. states that adhere to the emissions regulations promulgated by the California Air Resources Board.

#2: The Hyundai Ioniq 5 door hatchback sedan, available in hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or fully electric form, is one of the newest electric cars. Less battery in a lighter, slipperier package helps keep the price of the Ioniq Electric low.

#1: The Chevy Bolt is a five door hatchback design. KBB says, “Simply put, the new Chevy Bolt EV is the most compelling pure electric vehicle produced to date. With its 238-mile EPA range, an impressive feature set, solid driving dynamics, and an affordable price point, it really can take the place of a conventional alternative for many buyers.”

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The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.

The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.